Erin Borchard: 7 Minutes, 170+ Burpees, 1 Inspiring Couple

Where Science Meets Fitness

No matter what your current fitness level or former athletic experience, you can learn to train like an Olympic-caliber athlete. I am Erin Borchard, a former elite springboard/platform diver (NCAA Champion and multi-year All-American at Stanford University, former member of the US National Diving Team, and two-time competitor at the US Olympic Team Trials), specializing in personal and small group training sessions. I am also a Phi Beta Kappa student with a B.A. in Human Biology; my strong science background is an ever present influence shaping and changing my training philosophy.

I want to help you push yourself to YOUR maximum...you'll be shocked to find the true athlete living inside of you.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

7 Minutes, 170+ Burpees, 1 Inspiring Couple

Every year, CrossFit hosts its version of the Olympic Games: the CrossFit Games. All CrossFitters worldwide, regardless of experience or ability, are invited to participate in the CrossFit Open, the initial qualifying rounds for the Games. A new WOD ("Workout of the Day") is announced each week for the five week duration of the Open. Last week was the first week, and the first workout was the following:

As Many Burpees As Possible in 7 Minutes
*Requirements: body to the floor (chest and thighs), push-up, hop in, jump up 6" off the floor

I am not competing and had not done this workout...until I teamed up with three of my favorite YMCA class participants, my friend Ginger and married couple, Angie and Frank Hopkins. Randomly, we decided to meet up before my 5:30pm class last night to give this nasty WOD a go. We had no precise measuring method for the 6" jump and no judge to count our reps; we simply did it on our own to see how it felt and to challenge ourselves. Frank and Angie ROCKED all 7 minutes of this thing! See the photo above of them tackling the monster together. Angie scored something like 74 reps, while Frank hit 97 (if my memory serves me correctly). Wow! They then went ahead and did my hour-long Total Strength Extreme class immediately afterwards.

SPECIAL NOTE: Angie and Frank are new to CrossFit. In fact, Angie and Frank are new to fitness in general. See below for a visual demonstration that shows just how far Frank has come...